The present invention is related to laser devices. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention combine blue and/or green laser diode devices with offensive or defensive non-lethal and lethal weapon technologies to form a multi-stage weapon device capable of various levels of deterrence and/or lethality. In various embodiments, a green or blue laser diode devices function to create a dazzling effect, function to point toward a specific location or target, or function to sight for targeting and/or aiming purposes. In a specific embodiment, laser diode devices are combined with pepper spray, a Taser apparatus, a rubber projectile firing gun, and/or a lethal firearm. The laser devices can include a plurality of blue and green laser diodes, which may couple power together.
As human beings become more civilized, non-lethal techniques have been developed to temporarily halt others that may be dangerous or hostile. In any potentially hostile situation such as a military security checkpoint, a critical need exists to identify potentially threatening individuals or groups prior to undertaking an escalation of force. Non-lethal threat detection and deterrent techniques are commonly used such as megaphones, tire spike strips, traffic cones, fencing, and hand gestures. However, many of these are impractical in impromptu security environments, and such measures may not show sufficient force to deter potentially hostile parties. If a serious threat is encountered or anticipated, warning shots can be fired, but this action can actually accelerate tensions and result in unwanted and unnecessary escalation of force if the shots are perceived incorrectly by an approaching party. Moreover, once the warning shots have been fired, a common next step in the escalation of force is to engage the approaching party directly with gunfire, which dramatically increases the likelihood of loss of life.
As a result, an intermediate means of threat detection using bright light has been developed and employed called laser dazzling. This measure provides less than lethal threat detection, assessment, and an opportunity for de-escalation while at the same time providing a strong visual warning which can “dazzle” or induce temporary blindness to disorient approaching hostile parties without causing permanent ocular damage. End users of these tools include soldiers on the battlefield, homeland security officers, police, and general security who find themselves in any potentially hostile situation.
An application of bright light for threat detection and deterrence goes back to early in the 20th century when soldiers used searchlights for this purpose. As lasers were developed in the 1960s, they became more portable, and by the 1980s, defense and security forces were using lasers as dazzlers because of their long-range capability resulting from their collimated beam output. In the 1990s, the United Nations enacted the Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, which outlawed weapons intended to cause permanent blindness, but which leave the door open to weapons which induce temporary blindness.
Laser dazzlers are a common tool in the defense and security market. They go by several names, including laser dazzler, nonlethal visual disrupter, visual warning technology, nonlethal lasers, and others. In conventional laser dazzlers, green lasers are often employed. In order to generate the green laser light in conventional laser dazzlers, a three stage laser is often required, typically referred to as a diode pumped solid state (DPSS) frequency doubled green laser. A conventional laser design typically includes:                A laser diode emitting 808 nm laser light (typically powered by a battery).        The 808 nm laser is then focused into a solid state lasing crystal based on Nd:YAG or Nd:YVO4. The crystals emit laser light at or near 1064 nm.        The 1064 nm is then incident on a frequency doubling crystal which creates green light through the second harmonic generation process where two 1064 nm photons are converted into a single 532 nm photon. The frequency doubling crystal is typically KTP, LBO, BBO, PPLN, or another similar material. While these conventional laser dazzling devices are useful, there are certain drawbacks. For example, conventional laser dazzlers are often complex and require sophisticated optics and configurations. Additionally, such laser dazzlers are also expensive and difficult to scale.        
Unfortunately, crime continues. “A man and a woman were robbed at gunpoint near downtown Palo Alto on Tuesday night, police said. The victims, a man in his 50s and a woman in her 20s, were walking northbound on the 300 block of Ramona Street at about 8:30 p.m. when they were approached by a man, police said. He allegedly blocked the sidewalk, drew a black handgun, and demanded their wallets and the woman's purse. After handing over their things, the victims were ordered to turn around and walk in the other direction, police said. They then heard the man run away northbound on Ramona Street. The victims arrived at a restaurant on the 400 block of Emerson Street about 10 or 15 minutes after the robbery and told staff what had happened, police said. An employee called police, who searched the area but could not find the man.” By Jason Green, Daily News Staff Writer, San Jose Mercury News, Jan. 24, 2013.
Therefore, it can appreciated that improved systems and methods for laser dazzling devices are desirable.